Color flow imaging (CFI) is a variation of pulsed-wave (PW) Doppler, in which colors represent the velocity and direction of blood flow. The colors superimposed on the 2-D echocardiographic anatomy, produce a real-time representation of the spatial extent of blood flow. Imaging with CFI allows you to find blood flow quicker and easier than with conventional pulsed-wave (PW) or continuous-wave (CW) Doppler.

Color Flow Imaging helps:

• Position PW and CW Doppler beams
• Detect multiple jets, simultaneously
• Identify areas of non-laminar blood flow
• Detect and partially quantify regurgitant and shunt flows
• Reduce the time required to examine complex blood flow patterns

While CFI has many advantages over conventional Doppler, it does have some limitations. You will need a complete understanding of both to obtain accurate blood flow information

This tutorial, divided into three sections, presents both the advantages and limitations of CFI:

• Color Flow Imaging Basics discusses using color flow images to identify blood flow.
• Factors Affecting Color Flow Images describes some of the technical factors influencing the color, sensitivity, and accuracy of the image you see.
• Blood Flow Patterns in the Heart presents examples of normal and abnormal blood flow patterns.